Seth Brown James given two and a half year jail term for his role in fatal 2022 crash as a teenager

A judge has told a man responsible for a fatal crash that he was driving ‘as if his vehicle was a toy, placing his passengers at risk for the sake of quick thrills’. Here’s what he was sentenced to.

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The driver responsible for a crash that killed one of his passengers did not remember any details of the incident or the lead-up to it.

Seth Brown James, now 20 years old, was sentenced by Chief Justice Alan Blow in the Supreme Court in Burnie for his role in the crash that took place near the Devonport Airport on May 9, 2022.

Brown, who was 18 at the time of the crash, had previously pleaded guilty to one count of causing death by dangerous driving and another count of dangerous driving.

On the day of the crash, Justice Blow said that Brown was not under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs during the time of the incident.

“It is a case in which a completely sober 18-year-old drove as if his vehicle was a toy, placing the lives and safety of his passengers and himself at risk for the sake of a few quick thrills,” he said.

The P-plater had been driving around the Devonport area “recklessly” in his 1995 Nissan Navara, which he bought off his grandfather for $700, and at the time of the crash had multiple seatbelts that did not work.

During his trip where he gradually picked up passengers, Brown was constantly speeding and performed burnouts and drifts.

By the time he reached the roundabout at the intersection of Port Sorell and Pardoe Road, at which point he had four other passengers in the car, Brown attempted to drift around it while driving at 120km/h.

Justice Blow said shortly after that, that while negotiating a right-hand curve on Port Sorell, the car went into a gravel shoulder and flipped multiple times before coming to rest on its wheels.

Bailey Seabourne.

One of the passengers, Bailey Seabourne, who was 16, died at the scene after being flung from the vehicle and landing on the road with a window frame from the car on top of him.

Bailey did not have a working seatbelt in the car.

The other three passengers suffered various injuries.

Brown was unconscious for 17 days after the crash and suffered a brain injury that resulted in him having no recollection of the crash or the events leading up to it.

Before the crash, Brown had been diagnosed with ADHD and had an intellectual disability, with pre-injury assessments suggesting he had an IQ between 68 and 73.

Justice Blow said he had received impact statements from Mr Seabourne’s father and parental guardian.

“His father went to the scene of the crash and saw its aftermath.

“Since then, he has been troubled by nightmares, panic attacks, disturbed sleep, and irritability, amongst other symptoms.”

Another family member identified Mr Seabourne’s body at the scene of the crash.

“I was informed that he had a similar range of psychological symptoms,” Justice Blow said.

“He gave up his employment, which had required him to drive out past the scene of the crash.

“I was told that Bailey Seabourne’s girlfriend is still obtaining medical help as a result of his death.

“I was told that the family now rarely go out together, whereas they used to go out often, especially to play darts.”

Justice Blow sentenced Brown to two and a half years in jail.

He will not be eligible for parole until he serves 15 months of his sentence.